Shoe construction



April 11, 1939. J. LOUFBAHN SHOE CONSTRUCTION Filed July 1, 1958 3Sheets-Sheet 1 def/MAMA 3nventor Bg v I April 11, 1939. LOUFBAHN2,153,968

SHOE CONSTRUCTION Filed July 1, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Enventor /K4/\/(Ittorneg April 11, 1939. LQUFBAHN 2,153,968

SHOE CONSTRUCTION Filed July 1, 195's 5 Shets-Sheei s Snvcntor flaw MGttomeg Patented Apr. 11, 1939 UNI'I'BDVSTATES SHOE CONSTRUCTION JennieLoufbahn, New York, N. Y., assignor of ten one-hundredths to Jacob T.Basseches, New

York, N. Y.

Application July 1, 1938, Serial N0. 216,933

5" Claims.

' This invention relates to shoes and, more particularly, to shoes,sandals, slippers, mules, etc., of the strap type, that is, of the typein which the shoe uppers are constituted by one or more straps assembledwith the shoe bottom, i. e., the sole and heel of the shoe.

One object of the present invention is the provision of a shoe of theclass described having an upper constructed and arranged and assembledwith the sole of the shoe in such manner as to obviate the necessity forlasting the upper.

Another object of the invention is to provide an upper which may beattached to a shoe bottom, such as a sole, in different positions inrelation to the sole for the purpose of adjusting the width of the shoeupper.

Another object of the invention is to provide a shoe having a shoebottom to which there may be readily releasably secured ininterchangeable relation a selected one of a plurality of uppers wherebythe appearance of the shoe may be varied to suit the desires of thewearer either as to the shape and configuration of the upper, or partsthereof, or as to color or color combinations, or both as toconfiguration or shape and color or color combinations. In thisconnection, the shoe may also be provided with a detachable heel for thepurpose of providing for the attachment' of heels of various shapes andcolors,

The above objects of the invention and other objects which mighthereinafter appear will be fully understood from the followingdescription considered with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a shoe embodying the present invention, showingone form of shoe upper attached to the shoe bottom Fig. 2 is a top planview of the shoe bottom with the insole removed;

Fig. 3' is a plan view of the upper illustrated in Fig. 1, showing saidupper detached from the shoe bottom and in fiat form;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the shoe on the line 4-4 ofFig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing another form of the shoeupper attached to the shoe bottom;

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of a shoe, here shown as a mule, illustratingin dotted lines and in full lines, respectively, two different positionsin which the upper may be attached to the shoe bottom for varying thewidth of the upper, part of the insole being removed for the sake ofclearness of illustration;

. are provided with companion separable fasteners,

Fig. Tis a plan view of the counter portion of the shoe upperillustrated in Fig. 5, showing said counter portion detached from theshoe bottom;

Figs. 8 and 9 are plan views of the front portion of the shoe upperillustrated in Fig. 5, said shoe upper portions being detached from theshoe bottom.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the shoe made in accordancewith one form of the present invention comprises, as illustrated inFigs. 1 to 4, inclusive, a shoe bottom I0 and an upper l2. Said shoebottom comprises an outsole H of leather or other suitable material, anda heel l6, which conventionally, but not necessarily. is made of wood.Said heel is secured to the heel seat portion of the outsole by anysuitable means here shownas screws I8 which project through said portionof the outsole and are threaded into the body of the heel. As clearlyshown in Fig. 4, said outsole l4 comprises coextensive upper and lowerlayers 20 and 22, respectively, adhesively or otherwise secured togetherthroughout their contiguous surfaces. If desired, a metal shankstiffener 24 is positioned between layers 20 and 22 of the outsole forstiffening the shank portion thereof, said shank stiffener 24 extendingas usual from the heel seat to substantially the ball line of the shoe.

In accordance with the present invention, provision is made fordetachably and adjustably securing upper l2 and, alternatively, one of aplurality of other uppers, to the bottom ID of the shoe. For thispurpose said bottom and upper here shown as male and female snapfasteners 26 and 28 secured to the shoe bottom and to the upper,respectively. The female snap fasteners with which the shoe bottom I0 isprovided are arranged in spaced relation on the upper 40 marginal edgeportion of the outsole, preferably adjacent the periphery of outsole l4and extend completely therearound, as illustrated in Fig. 2. Morespecifically, said female snap fasteners 26 are secured to upper layer20 of outsole 5 I4 and as thus arranged have open top sockets for thereception of the studs 30 of the female snap fasteners 28, the bottomsof said sockets being covered by the lower outsole layer 22. It will beunderstood that outsole l4 instead of being 50 formed of separate layersmay be formed from a single thickness of sole leather or other suitablematerial split edgewise inwardly to provide an upper marginal edgeportion, in which the female snap fastener elements are secured, and alower in unitary relation. Thus, as here shown, said upper comprises acounter portion 32 having a rear or central strap part 34 and side strapparts 38, the lower edges of which are provided with the male snapfasteners 28 forreleasable engagement with the companion snap fasteners28 on layer 28 of the outsole. The forward part of the upper includesthe front straps 38 and 48.

which are in crossed relation and stitched together by lines ofstitching 42. Said straps 88 and 48 have forward portions 44 and 48 andrear portions 48 and 88, respectively, disposed at opposite sides of theshoe and each provided at its outer free edge with a male snap fastenerwhich engages a companion female snap fastener on the outsole. Portion48 of strap 38 is secured by a line of stitching 52 to a strap 54intermediate the ends of the latter. One end of strap 54' is secured toportion 32 of the upper by a line of stitching 58. The other end portion58 of strap 54 is provided with a snap fastener 28 for engagement with asnap fastener 28 at the shank of the shoe. The rear portion 58 of frontstrap 40 is secured by a line of stitching 88 to a strap 82. One endportion 64 of strap 82 is provided with a snap fastener 28 which engagesa snap fastener 28 of the outsole at the inner side of the shank portionthereof, and the other end portion 88 of strap 82 is provided with aplurality of openings 88 for the attachment of said strap portion with abuckle 10 secured to the top part of side strap 38.

It will be understood that outsole I4 is provided with a sufficientnumber of female snap fastener elements 28 to permit of the adjustmentof the attached strap portions of the upper, and it will be understoodfurther that the studs of the male snap fastener parts can pivot axiallyin the sockets of the female snap fastener parts 28 to provide foradjustment and to allow the upper to conform to the wearer's foot. Itwill be understood also that by attaching the ends of the strap of theupper to properly located female snap fastener parts longitudinally ofthe outsole, that the width of the upper may be varied within suitablelimits. Upper i2 is thus seen to comprise a plurality of strapflportionswhich may be formed by cutting the same from suitable stock such as shoeupper leather conventionally utilized in the manufacture of shoes. Saidupper may be lined, as is customary, and in that case the ends of thestraps are stitched with the edge portion of one strap positionedbetween the lining and the outer material of the other strap. Thus, asillustrated in Fig. 3, the edge portion 12 of strap 54 is securedbetween the lining 74 and the outer material 18 of counter portion 32, aportion of the outer material of said counter portion being cut away toshow the lining 14. Similarly the rear edge portions 18 and 19 of straps38 and 40, respectively, are stitched between the lining and outermaterial of straps 54 and 82, respectively, and strap 38 extends betweenthe lining and outer material of strap 40. All of the straps of upper i2may thus be cut from flat stock to the proper shape and when stitchedtogether form the upper of the desired configuration. If desired,however, the rear portion 34 of the counter portion 22 of the upper maybe provided with a counter stiffener 88 which is secured between thelining and the outer material of said part of the upper and which may bemolded to the contour of the rear of the wearer's foot.

y The bottom III of the shoe also comprises an insole 82 which ispreferably substantially coextensive in width and length with theoutsole of the shoe. Said insole comprises an upper layer 84 and afilling layer 88 of a proper thickness to compensate for the fastenerelements and the end portions of the strap of the upper which aresecured to the outsole. Said insole is permanently secured to theoutsole and more specifically to .the upper surface of outsole layer 20in any suitable way as by cementing, stitching or tacking thereto, andthe arrangement is such as to provide a marginal edge portion 88 on saidinsole integral with upper layer 84 thereof for overlying the fastenerelements 28 of the upper when the latter is secured to the outsole.Filling layer 88 is provided with edge recesses 88 which receive thefastener elements, permitting the top surface of the insole to lie flatand to present a smooth and comfortable'surface to the wearer's foot. Itwill be understood that marginal edge portion 88 extends completelyaround the shoe on the inside thereof over the end portions of thestraps of the upper, and that said marginal edge portion 88 is free fromdirect attachment whereby to permit the upper to be unfastened andremoved from the shoe bottom and to permit the attachment of anothershoe upper as may be desired.

Referring now to the form. of the upper illustrated in Fig. 5, saidupper constituted by separate straps, as will presently be described, isattached to the shoe bottom Hi, the latter comprising the outsole H, theheel l8 and the insole 82 as in the construction shown in Fig. 1hereinabove described. Said upper comprises a counter portion 88 whichis similar to counter portion 32 of upper I2, with the exception that itis free from direct attachment to the forward upper portion 92 andinstead has a fastening instep strap 94 secured to one side strapportion 38 of said upper portion and engageable with a buckle 98 securedto the other side strap portion 38. It will be understood that counterportion 80 of the upper in the form of the invention herein shown isattachable and detachable from the shoe bottom Ill substantially in thesame way as counter portion 32 of upper l2. Said forward portion 92 ofthe upper is constituted by straps 98 and Hill which are disposed incrossed relation at the front of the shoe, being secured to the shoebottorn by engagement of the snap fastener parts 28 thereof with thesnap fastener parts 26 on the shoe bottom. It will be understood thatthe effective width of the front part of the shoe upper 92, constitutedby said straps 98 and I00 may be varied by attaching the ends of saidstraps to the properly located female snap fastener elements 28 on theshoe bottom at opposite sides thereof. Likewise, it will be noticed thatthe studs of the male fastener parts 28 may swivel axially in thesockets of the female fastener parts 28 whereby to provide for theproper adjustment of the front portion of the upper in relation to thewearers foot. As here shown, straps 98 and Hill are not secured to eachother, but if desired they may be stitched or otherwise secured togetherat their cross portions.

As illustrated in Fig. 6, the shoe may be readily converted into a shoeof the -mule type, by substituting for the uppers of the types shown inFigs. 1 and 5 an upper I02 which may be constituted by a single strap,such as a strap 88 or I00 shown in Figs. 8 and 9. The adjustability ofthewidth of the upper is well illustrated in this form of the invention.Thus, when the strap is connected as illustrated in full lines, theupper has a narrower effective width than when the strap is connected tothe shoe bottom, as illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 6. In otherwords, by changing the angularity of the strap I02 in relation to thelongitudinal line of the shoe the effective width of the upper may bevaried within a sufficient range of adjustment to provide a substantialvariation in the effective width of the shoe. It will be understood thatthe studs 30 of the male fastener elements 28 attached to the strap ofupper I02 swivel within the sockets of the female snap fastener parts 26and thus permit the change in the angularity of the upper withoutforming creases or wrinkles therein.

Thus, it is seen that there is provided a shoe having a shoe bottomwhich may be of standard construction and which may have associatedtherewith a plurality of shoe uppers of various types, any one of whichmay be attached to the shoe bottom and subsequently removed therefrom tobereplaced by another of said shoe uppers whereby to vary the appearanceof the shoe as the wearer may desire. While only one fastener element isshown on certain of the strap portions, the latter may each be providedwith more than one fastener element as for example shown on portion 34of upper I2 (Fig. 3). It will be understood that a pair of shoe bottomsmay be sold with a set of interchangeable shoe uppers and, optionally,together with a set or plurality of heels for each pairof shoe bottoms,whereby the appearance of the shoe may be readily changed in accordancewith the user's requirements and desires as to style or utility. It willbe understood, however, that while I have shown and described severalforms of shoe uppers which may be associated with the shoe bottom, inaccordance with the present invention, other types of shoe uppers may beprovided and certain changes in the'construction and arrangement ofparts of said uppers as well as of the shoe bottom may be made.Therefore, I do not wish to be limited precisely to the forms of theinvention herein shown or described, or to any of them, except as may berequired by the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. A shoe of the class described comprising a shoe bottom having anoutsole and a heel, said outsole having a plurality of separablefastener elements secured thereto in spaced relation to each other inthe upper marginal edge portion of the outsole at both sides of the shoelongitudinally thereof, and an upper comprising a relatively narrowstrap extending transversely of the shoe bottom and having its oppositeends provided with separable fastener elements releasably engageablewith said first mentioned fastener elements fordetachably securing thestrap to said outsole, said plurality of first mentioned fastenerelements being arranged at each side of the shoe to permit the selectiveengagement with one of said elements of the fastener element of theadjacent end of said strap for adjusting the positions of the ends ofstrap longitudinally of the shoe bottom.

2. A shoe of the class described comprising a shoe bottom having anoutsole and a heel, said outsole having a plurality of separablefastener elements secured thereto in spaced relation to each other inthe upper marginal edge portion of the outsole at both sides of the shoelongitudinally thereof, and an upper comprising a plurality ofrelatively narrow crossed straps extending transversely of the shoebottom and having their opposite ends provided with separable fastenerelements releasably engageable with said first mentioned fastenerelements for detachably securing said straps to said outsole, said firstmentioned fastener elements being arranged at each side of the shoe topermit the selective engagement with certain of said elements of thefastener elements of the adjacent ends of said straps for adjusting thepositions of the ends of each of said straps longitudinally of the shoebottom.

3. In a shoe of the class described comprising a shoe bottom having anoutsole and a heel, said outsole having a plurality of separablefastener elements secured thereto in spaced relation to each other inthe upper marginal edge portion of the outsole over an extended portionof the outsole, and an upper comprising a relatively narrow strapprovided with end portions having separable fastener elements releasablyengageable with selected ones of said first mentioned separable fastenerelements for detachably securing the upper to said outsole in selectedpositions.

4. In a shoe of the class described, the combination of a complete shoebottom and an upper freely detachable from said bottom, said uppercomprising relatively narrow straps with end portions having separablefastener elements, said bottom having an outsole comprising a pair ofco-extensive super-imposed layers of sole material secured to eachother, the upper layer having secured to its marginal portion a seriesof separable fastener elements, an insole and a filler layer disposedbetween said insole and said outsole, said filling layer being securedto the interior zones of the outsole and insole and leavi the facingmarginal portions of the outsole and insole free of each other, the endsof said straps entering the space between the outsole and insole forattachment of the upper to the bottom by means of the separablefastener.

5. In a shoe of the class described, the combination of a complete shoebottom and an upper freely detachable from said bottom, said uppercomprising relatively narrow straps with end portions having separablefastener elements, said bottom comprising a pair of co-extensivesuperimposed layers of sole material secured to each other, the upperlayer having secured to its marginal portion a series of separablefastener elements, an insole having its interior zone secured to theinterior zone of the outsole, the facing marginal portions of theoutsole and insole being free of each other, the ends of said strapsentering the space between the outsole and insole for attachment of theupper to the bottom by means of the separable fastener.

JENNIE LOUFBAHIN.

